Behind The Scenes – Nordring

This is going to be the first of perhaps many of our behind the scenes posts of Japan’s tuning shops (hopefully you enjoy them). Over the past 16 years one of our greatest joys has been playing an early role in introducing Japan’s tuning shops to the world. After nearly 100 trips to Japan over those years, and all these years sharing this crazy passion we have for GT-Rs I’ve gotten to know many of the shops closely and I’ve come across some great stories and background which fellow GT-R owners might enjoy. With internet content typically operating in bite-size pieces, here’s a bit more than usual. I hope it humanizes and makes some of these legendary shops understood and appreciated in new ways. Many of these shops have an “oversized” image but are often under 10 employees and are built around the same passion that unites us here in the community.

Suzuki-san GT-RR.com Behind the Scenes of Nordring Japan

I’ll start with Nordring and if you guys like where I take this, I have a lot of original content, stories and history with dozens of other small shops ranging from MCR to JUN to HKS Technical factory to Varis to Top Secret. Each one deserves its own spotlight but I’ll start here with a small shop run by Toshio Suzuki.
Suzuki-san, prior to opening Nordring, was at first a Formula 1 driver and then later was Nissan’s test driver and was responsible for the initial R35 iconic lap time at the Nurburgring that put the GT-R on the global stage and put all supercars on notice. His role was primarily to provide feedback to Mizuno san who at that time was head of the R35 GT-R program and prior was responsible for the R34 GT-R. Shown in the photos here is the original R35 GT-R test mule packaged into a CPV35 Skyline Coupe. That original test car resides at Nordring’s office and represents some of Suzuki-san’s iconic history at Nissan shaping the GT-R and his close ties to his colleague Mizuno-san.

Suzuki-san’s talents as a race car driver, test driver and chassis/suspension expert are unquestioned. As his age increased, he retired from racing and opened up Nordring which is named after the famous race track that he conquered time and time again in Germany. Knickknacks from the Nurburgring are all over his office, even the coffee set we drank from is Nurburgring branded.

Nordring’s start coincides during Suzuki-san’s friend Mizuno-san’s rule over the GT-R world. For those of us in the GT-R community that were involved when the R35 first came out, Mizuno-san and Nissan had a FIRM stance on not modifying the car. You could feel it when reading the manual and seeing a do not modify cartoon image, and you could equally feel it during the times I was at Fuji Speedway during the early R35 era Nismo Festivals when there was a ban on all modified R35 GT-R’s on display at the event. Unlike overseas, Nissan dealers in Japan are under tighter corporate control and there was a culture of fear that if you modified your GT-R Nissan would blacklist you. There was however a single company that Nissan recognized under warranty and at Nismo Festival, that company was Nordring and Nordring alone.

For all of the time and support Suzuki-san had given to Nissan, Nissan in turn supported Suzuki-san and trusted him with his upgrades for the GT-R under Nissan warranty and with dealer install. During these early years of Nordring, even despite our relationship with them, I had trouble ordering the parts directly for overseas GT-R clients who depended on our company to bridge the cultural and physical divide. For months and then years, Nordring would politely tell me to check back later since they were waiting on Nissan’s approval to sell overseas. Since Nissan had a hand in Nordring’s parts sales, the corporate giant also had a hand on distribution and had to personally approve any overseas sales route. During that time, getting Nordring parts was tricky and although we had our ways, it was not until Nissan loosened corporate dominance over Japanese tuning that Nordring could operate more freely without Nissan’s hand. Nissan’s corporate position about the aftermarket, warranties, and tuning in Japan changed when Tamura san replaced Mizuno san for the GT-R program by the way. This is a whole different story in itself, and a great one…but for another time. Anyway, in our opinion, Nordring did not need Nissan’s support to restrict the competition and in fact Nordring will always hold a number of key advantages, mostly due to Suzuki-san’s brilliance at circuit setup and knowledge.

Behind the Scenes of Nordring Japan by GT-RR.com
The Nordring brand and what it means currently in Japan:
Nordring is a small shop, that when you visit feels more like a hobby of a pro driver where he and his buddies can meet. The clients that visit are fiercely loyal and are almost always there for one defining thing – Suzuki-san’s expertise in setting up their car to handle amazing on the street and circuit. Suzuki-san was the trusted source for Mizuno and his team with the R35 and he carries that torch with a personal touch for his local clientele who love going to the circuit. Suzuki-san’s suspension of choice is the same as used on Mizuno-san’s R34 GT-R Z-Tune project and on Nismo’s Super GT cars, a high end coilover produced in limited supply by Japan’s Sachs Motorsports division. Although this suspension is favored by Suzuki-san and his clients, after Mizuno san left Nissan the later special Nismo projects moved from the special Sachs units to Ohlins dampers. Debate still rages on in Japan by purists over which rules supreme but Nordring clients go crazy for the Sachs, one story even has an N-Attack user removing his N-Attack special Ohlins to switch to the special Sachs 3 way coilovers. Aside from coilovers, Suzuki-san has been favoring Drexler differentials and has been utilizing the suspension and differentials along with his special alignment settings for many of the top drivers and GT-R owners in Japan. One theme with Suzuki-san is that he doesn’t compromise, everything is the best, price be dammed. Another theme is that his focus is on balanced tuning and vehicle dynamics, not simply on big power.

An interesting note is how Nordring is perceived inside Japan versus outside. Outside Japan, the secret sauce of Suzuki-san personally setting up a car with those special dampers and diffs is not really a possibility since he’s the one doing the work locally. An entirely different Nordring exists outside of Japan, one that involves their dry carbon parts. The story goes at that the owner of Challenge is a GT-R enthusiast and he developed a few GT-R parts for fun but had no outlet to sell them. Challenge as you probably know, makes the rear diffuser for all R35’s and makes the Nismo GT-R body panels, amongst other things. In fact, their big business is making Shinkansen/Bullet Train nose cones and a variety of other more lucrative projects. The aftermarket is not their focus (although I’ve personally been a user of Challenge made dry carbon parts since 2004 on our S2000 and they do dabble in aftermarket projects time to time). Anyway, Challenge has bigger tasks than to market a lineup of aftermarket GT-R parts and they found a partner in Suzuki-san to introduce these items through Nordring. Since Suzuki-san is an expert at suspensions, this was clearly no conflict of interest and in-fact rounded out the Nordring lineup well. For those Nordring clients overseas, odds are your Nordring experience is with the Challenge made Nordring dry carbon parts which are as expensive as they are beautifully constructed.

Going into the future, it is hard to say where Nordring is headed. I get the feeling from Suzuki-san and the shared friends we have that he is perfectly content going to the race track, hanging out with GT-R owners and setting up cars. It feels as much hobby as it does business and there is no urgency to grow big. He has already left his mark and now he seems to be enjoying himself. The international clientele can now freely get Nordring parts through Bulletproof (shameless plug) and through other authorized dealers, and although there does not seem to be many new parts on the horizon, the current parts are all timeless and well thought out.
We’ll share more photos and be happy to chat more on this. We certainly don’t know everything, but this is a rough and unofficial history from our experiences being a Nordring dealer and friend since the origin of the brand.

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PRODUCT RELEASE: JUN x Bulletproof Automotive Collaboration: Craftsquare Carbon Fiber GT Side Mirrors

 

JUST-RELEASED!!
JUN x Bulletproof Automotive Collaboration: Craftsquare Carbon Fiber GT Side Mirrors

Debuting at TAS 2016, JUN released their newest collaboration with famed GT racing mirror company Craftsquare. After the great success of the JUN Evo X GT Side Mirrors, we’ve been actively working with JUN for almost a year on this R35 project and we’re excited to see it come to fruition.

In addition to the standard carbon fiber mirror housings that Craftsquare is famous for, the JUN x Bulletproof Automotive Craftsquare mirrors feature carbon fiber base mounts for that extra weight savings and bling factor.

These are currently readily available for direct shipping, price is $695.00 + shipping (shipping price may vary depending on location)

GT-RR / Bulletproof Automotive Is Now An HKS Pro Dealer

Over the years we here at Bulletproof Automotive / GT-RR have been blessed with the opportunity to work with some of the best Japanese performance parts and aero parts manufacturers this beautiful industry has to offer. It is because of this hard work and dedication that we are happy to announce that as of January 1st, 2016 we have officially become an HKS pro dealer.

For those of us that have been in this industry for several years and even for those that are new, there is one name that has proven the test of time and has been battle tested time and time again, that name is HKS. Dating back to when they first began in 1973 to present date, HKS has offered and continues to offer a wide variety of aftermarket parts ranging from full engine internals such as connecting rods and camshafts to external parts such as blow off valves, full intercooler kits, exhaust systems, turbo kits, engine management systems and variety of other performance electronics.

We have always had a high amount of respect for HKS and their products, and during our recent visit to Tokyo Auto Salon we were happy to know that the respect is mutual. Thanks in part to our experience in the automotive community, specifically but not limited to Japanese brands, they approached us to become a pro dealer in the middle of 2015.

We are extremely humbled by our friends out at HKS Technical Factory in Japan who had some really kind words to say about us to HKS Corporate, which helped make this partnership a reality.

For any and all HKS inquires, feel free to contact us directly via phone +1 213.745.6954 or send us an email at sales@gt-rr.com.

CLICK HERE To View The HKS Catalog On GT-RR.com!

Bulletproof Automotive / GT-RR In-House Financing Now Available!

Over the last couple years, we’ve had quite a few customers inquire regarding options to finance parts for their GT-Rs. The concept of financing car parts seemed a bit odd to us initially, but after hearing a number of people ask, we decided to seek out an option to do so. After quite a of bit of searching, and a lot of dead-ends (you’d be surprised how much of a pain it is for something like this), we finally found a solution that ticks all the requisite boxes. To be honest, we make nothing (zero, zip, ziltch, nada) off any financing; this is strictly to help customers realize their dreams for their cars.

For the sake of simplicity, we’re calling it “Bulletproof Financing” 😉 Basically, they’re simple interest loans with optional payment term lengths, up to one year.

We’ve set up a simple FAQ below to try and answer what we felt are the most common questions, but for anyone with additional questions, or that is ready to apply, please contact us here.

FAQs:

Q: What is required to apply for financing?
A: For customers located in the United States:

  • Be at least 18 years old
  • Have a valid U.S. mailing address (APO/FPO eligible)
  • Provide U.S. cellular telephone number
  • Have a U.S. social security number

 

*** For customers located outside the United States, please contact us for available options and details. ***

Q: Who qualifies for financing?
A: It’s at the determination of Bulletproof Automotive and our financing partners. Some key factors that might affect eligibility might include: credit score, amount financed, and any other factors that our partners might use in their determination processes.

Q: What are the loan lengths?
A: We are currently offering lengths of up to 12 months.

Q: What will my loan annual percentage rate (APR) be?
A: The loan APR is based on credit. Loan rates start at 10%, simple interest, meaning on a $1000 purchase you would pay a total of $1100 if qualified for an APR of 10%.

Q: Is there a requirement for a down payment?
A: Depending on your credit, we may not be able to finance the entire balance. In these rare instances, we will work with you on a solution.

Q: What is the maximum purchase amount that can be financed?
A: Currently, we offer financing for purchases up to $20,000 USD

We’ll also try to keep this FAQ updated with questions as received from customers as we go, so feel free to post and ask away!

JUST RELEASED: AIMGAIN R35 GT-R Widebody!

AIMGAIN has officially released their R35 GT-R widebody kit!

AIMGAIN is well know for their amazing kits and they have perfected the balance between an aggressive look while still maintaining a sense of luxurious class.

The complete kit includes the following (individual pieces are also available):

  • Front Bumper
  • Front Under Spoiler
  • Side Under Spoiler
  • Rear Under Spoiler
  • Rear Diffuser (Including Rear Fog)
  • Front Wide Fenders (50mm Wide)
  • Rear Wide Fenders (80mm Wide)
  • Rear Wing (including Gurney Flap)

AIMGAIN also provides wheel and Exhaust options as well.

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NEW PRODUCT DEBUT: Bulletproof Automotive x Willans Racing Harnesses!

In our endless pursuit of offering the highest quality items in the world, we recently partnered with famed racing harness manufacturer Willans.

Willans is considered by many as the premier racing safety goods manufacturer in the world (for good reason!). Willans is the world’s leading harness manufacturer, providing safety equipment for all forms of motorsports; from club racing and rallying to Formula One and even NASCAR. Willans is so highly regarded that they are Nissan’s go-to manufacturer for the Nismo-branded harnesses included on all Nismo race cars, and factory Club Sport and circuit builds.

All Bulletproof x Willans harnesses are FIA approved and utilize an aircraft-style rotary camlock buckle along with lightweight aluminum adjusters on both the shoulder and lap straps.

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The standard configuration (our recommend setting) mimics the Nismo harnesses with a “4-point” design featuring 3″ (76mm) shoulder harnesses and 2″ (51mm) lap harnesses which allow increased street comfort, as well as a wider arrange of fitment options for aftermarket race seats. Custom configurations are also available with short lead-times and direct shipping. Harnesses are available in multiple color options at no additional charge. The default attachment method is via latch and included eye bolts, however loop configurations for harness bars can also be ordered for no additional charge.

** Custom color made to order program: (Options: Bright Green, British Racing Green, Silver, White, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Orange, Red, Black)

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GT-RR was founded in 2008 as the world's first and only retailer dedicated exclusively to the GT-R. After more than a decade, we're still the leader in product offerings for Nissan's supercar.